Tag Archives: clare hurling

This week’s Clare Champion includes a very special, 16-page souvenir supplement to mark Clare’s success in the All-Ireland Hurling Final. In this supplement we talk to Tony Kelly, Brian Lohan, Shane O’Donnell, John Conlon, Conor Cleary, Cathal Malone, Eibhear Quilligan, Brendan Bugler, Pat O’Donnell, Tommy Corbett, Deirdre Murphy, Davy Fitzgerald and many more. We also have all the colour from before, during and after the game, the excitement from the homecoming events on Monday night and a souvenir team poster. This collector’s item is in the shops now. Below, Eoin Brennan chats to Shane O’Donnell. Shane O’Donnell’s fairytale All-Ireland Final return nearly didn’t happen on Sunday after suffering a hamstring tear only five days before. Having capped off his senior debut year at a 19 year old by lowering the Rebels in spectacular fashion with 3-3, clear National Player of the Year favourite O’Donnell was on the precipice of missing the decider, having been instrumental in getting the coiunty there. …

Having witnessed the strong hopes of the minors and Under 20’s end in heartbreaking circumstances over the past week, Clare’s Munster hopes revert once more to Brian Lohan’s flagship side that are bidding to guarantee their place in a third successive Munster Senior Final when traveling to Thurles to take on hosts Tipperary this Sunday (4pm). Not since Brian Lohan was a player himself have the county contested three provincials deciders in a row but having secured back-to-back championship victories over Cork and Waterford, that is now a reality if Clare can work the oracle once more on Sunday. Indeed, such are the myriad of permutations and ramifications for Sunday’s final round ties between Tipperary and Clare and Limerick versus Waterford that it’s best to concentrate on the controllable, namely the fact that their Munster Final fate is very much in their own hands as a win or draw on Sunday guarantees their place once more. “It’s the Munster championship, …

Another physically challenging encounter for the Clare manager to digest which saw his side, in his opinion, gain a point with the former Clare captain acknowledging that Wexford might feel it was an opportunity lost as they certainly were the better team for large spells. “It was a very tough physical game which we expected as this is always a really hard place to come. To be honest I don’t know whether Wexford will be happy with the draw but we have to be. Considering our performance in that first half we would have to be happy overall with the point. We were completely outfought in that entire first thirty five and Wexford won almost every single breaking ball. They dominated us physically and we weren’t happy at all with our performance. We spoke about it at the break and in fairness we did regroup.” Facing into the elements was always going to be challenging and we changed things up …

Brian Lohan has introduced ten new players to the Clare hurling squad for 2023 and points to the ambition among the new recruits and the established stars as they bid to take county seniors to the next level and win trophies, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh It’s hard to believe that it’s now a quarter of a century since one of the greatest examples of the real difference between league and championship was provided by a Clare team that had current manager Brian Lohan as a totem. It was 1998, when the great team that Ger Loughnane built rocked down to Semple Stadium for a joust with Cork in the National League semi-final on the first Sunday in May. Summertime had just kicked in and Clare had their chance to book a final place against Waterford. It was 20 years since the team that Ger himself was part of won the league for the second successive year — why not mark …

Nine Clare players helped UL to secure All-Ireland Freshers 1 Hurling League honours with a 1-19 to 0-13 final victory over DCU in Clonad, Laois on Tuesday evening. The Banner’s sizeable representation dominated the spinal positions for Joe McGrath’s side who will hope to emulate this achievement for the championship version in the new year. Pictured from left to right are: Sean Rynne (Inagh-Kilnamona), John Conneally (Clooney-Quin), Rory O’Connell (Clarecastle), Ian McNamara (Killanena) (Captain), Ronan O’Connor (Feakle), Keith Smyth (Killanena), Colm Cleary (O’Callaghan’s Mills) and Tony Leyden (Tulla). Gearoid Sheehy (Ogonnelloe) was missing due to illness.

Sixmilebridge’s Junior B hurlers embark on a new mission as they aim to come through a Munster quarter final against Kerry’s St. Brendan’s Ardfert this Sunday (throw in 12.30pm). Chaplin admits this competition, hosted by Killeedy GAA club, offers Sixmilebridge’s squad a unique opportunity to sample a provincial competition; one he hopes his squad will embrace. “It’s bonus territory but at the same time when you are in something you want to go far. Lads might not get to compete in Munster again. With Intermediate or Junior A you can’t enter a second team in those competitions. “Even when we won the final we knew before leaving that day of this tournament. “Scariff reached the Munster final last year and we put it to the lads that the opportunity was there if we put our shoulder to the wheel. We are representing our club in Munster so it’s a fantastic opportunity.” With Sixmilebridge fielding four teams at adult level, the …

PAT HENCHY was a great student of hurling and there was nothing he liked better than following the fortunes of Clare when they scaled the heights in big championship games at Munster or All-Ireland level. He was the same in his support of Cuala — his adopted club in Dublin that won Leinster and All-Ireland titles in 2017 and ’18 as Con O’Callaghan marked himself down as the best dual star in the land. Clare and Cuala in full flow — there was nothing like it for Pat as he studied, analyzed, mused and marvelled about the qualities of the modern game in terms of skill, speed and the confidence, swagger and derring do in players like Tony Kelly, Con O’Callaghan and others at the top of their game. His great friend of Clare hurling stock, Leo McGough, who comes from Carlow via Inagh, told a great story about him ahead of the 2013 All-Ireland replay when he picked the …

THERE was huge frustration among Clare hurling fans this week, as people seeking to purchase tickets for Munster championship games faced significant difficulties. With Covid restrictions now relaxed pre-championship anticipation is at its highest in a few years and with thousands of people all going online simultaneously, Ticketmaster was hit with technical issues meaning fans couldn’t make their purchases for a period of time. Tickets were also available from Centra and SuperValu stores and some of these outlets also saw huge demand and long queues for tickets. Clare’s first two games are against Tipperary and Cork, both in Thurles, and with Semple Stadium being as large as it is, there was little concern about any potential sell out there. Clare’s final game is against Waterford and it had been notified in advance that these tickets would only be available from county boards at a later date. The really problematic fixture, however, is Clare versus Limerick, which is due to be …